Review: BLAST OFF, STARBURST, Oran Mor

Blast Off, Starburst is a new play written and directed by Catriona MacLeod that deals with the complexities of grief. 

Shona (Rebecca Elise) is an adult woman who is reluctantly in therapy. She doesn't want to open up about how she feels about the loss of her mother. Wee Shona (Megan Lovat) is a little girl who is full of wonder and enthusiasm about the world and space in particular, and she can't wait to tell her mum all about it.

Both versions of Shona have a lot of knowledge about time and space and this works well as the narrative jumps back and forth between her timelines. As a child, Shona is excited to have a visit from her Auntie Mags (Sheila Grier) a glamorous woman clad in a fur coat who Shona confides "smells like whisky". As an adult, Mags is there as a support for her after the loss of her mother.

It's a delicately handled piece. Often part of bereavement involves clearing out a home and Shona is overwhelmed by how much stuff her mother kept. Things that didn't seem important before now carry more weight. 

There's a nice balance between the frustrations and grief experienced by an adult dealing with the loss of a parent and the whimsical child who can't keep her feelings about the thing she loves to herself.

With strong performances from the whole cast, Blast Off, Starburst! is a tender and nuanced portrayal of loss.

Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

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